The gospel on celebrity and pop culture

Lady Gaga, boyfriend Taylor Kinney step out ahead of New Year's

Looks like there's really something to Lady Gaga and boyfriend Taylor Kinney: The pop star made her first public outing this week with her new beau.

"Vampire Diaries" actor Kinney played Gaga's love interest in the music video for her single "You and I" — and apparently found out a lot to chew on between the two of them.

Rumors that the pair were more than costars first surfaced in September, and now come photographs of the two strolling on the "Vampire Diaries" set in California, Kinney's arm around Gaga, who was wearing a leather jacket and not much else.

They look like love birds to us. Gaga last dated aspiring fitness guru Luc Carl (whose behavior she likened to an infant's in an interview with Vogue last year). If you believe certain rumors, well, things are moving much quicker with Kinney.

One report suggested the two were house hunting in Taylor's native Lancaster, Pa., though a local real estate agent denied it. Something we know Gaga is committed to: dropping the ball in Times Square come New Year's Eve. At the request of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Gaga will push the magic button that starts the countdown to 2012. She's also expected to perform.

Ministry note: We totes approve of Taylor. He's hot, has a job, likes Ducati bikes (note his T-shirt in the photo we linked to) and isn't the author of something called "The Drunk Diet." (That laureate would be Luc.)